The illusion of being “a natural”
You’re such a natural said many of my colleagues at the end.
Yesterday, I was the emcee for my department’s retreat. I also planned the event with the help of my teammates over a couple of weeks. Since it was the first major department event I was fronting, I wanted to do a good job and so I spent a lot of time not only refining my plan, but also planning what I would say and when. I also rehearsed my delivery, not memorising, so that I hit the right notes at the right points.
Actually, my preparation began way before. I have been a Toastmaster for many years now — not always the most active — and have spent a lot of time working on my public speaking. Add that to the time I spent teaching a bunch of teenagers whose attention I had to learn to retain. Put that all together and by now my stage time amounts to much more than the average person.
All this to say: I am no natural. What people see as innate skill, is in fact a product of steady practise. Looking at world-class athletes, the word “natural” often comes to my mind. But as I read sports biographies, I realised this. Sure, you need to have a level of natural talent to rank among the elite. But even within that class, it is deliberate and smart effort that differentiates the great performers from the good performers. Step outside of that sphere and the same effort goes a disproportionately long, long way.
We might use the word “natural” unthinkingly when we see people perform better than we think we would ever be able to do. But perhaps the word itself acts as a barrier to this truth: that you and I could go further than we can conceive, in any endeavour of ours, as long as we are willing to put in the time.